Mirror, Mirror in the Word

The bathroom mirror is my friend even when it scares me.                              

It gave me a fright this morning as I surveyed the night’s damage to my face: puffy eyes, hair sticking out like porcupine quills, leftover mascara stuck to my cheek.

So, I begin the morning repair work: hydrate the face, comb the hair, apply some makeup. Before long the damage is reduced. I can face the day presentably.

Thank you, honest mirror!

The Bible too is an honest mirror. It shows us ourselves. Sometimes the picture isn’t pretty; sometimes it’s downright scary.  We read God’s Word and start to realize we are impatient, or gossipy, or judgmental. There is repair work to be done!

At this point, we can close our Bibles and walk away unchanged. But how foolish to do so!

James reminds us that seeing ourselves in God’s Word is just the beginning. Honest effort must follow. “Remember, it is a message to obey, not just to listen to…For if you just listen and don’t obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like” (James 1: 22-24 NLT).

Peter echoes the same theme of practicing what we read in Scripture: “Make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to your life” (II Peter 1:5 NLT).

Paul joins in: “Put into action God’s saving work in your lives, obeying God with deep reverence and fear” (Phil 2:11 NLT). God blesses our wholehearted attempts to be more like Jesus. We work at this task all through our advanced years.

But wait! There’s another mirror in God’s Word.

This time we’re off to the side. As we look into Scripture, we see Jesus rather than ourselves. We find him shining forth in both testaments. How glorious he is! Full of patience. Free of pride and vanity. Fiercely committed to his Father.

As we keep looking at Jesus in this mirror, God the Spirit works to change us into Jesus’ likeness. Paul explains the process like this: “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (II Cor. 3:18 NKJV).

This transformation is the mysterious work of God’s Spirit, apart from conscious human effort.

So which is it? Do we become more like Jesus through human endeavor or through divine action?

Yes, to both.

There are two mirrors in the Word. In one, we see ourselves and work hard to develop our virtues as people who follow Jesus. In the other, we look at Jesus and think about his life-well-lived for God’s glory. As we meditate on Jesus, God the Spirit works to change us from the inside out. Both of God’s mirrors are our friends.

Let’s keep looking!

©MarionSpeicherBrown

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